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Written by Maggie Storm
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Saturday, 04 September 2010 13:18 |
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 One of my favorite moms is a mom to one of my favorite kids, B. B was born with a cleft palate and his parents have championed towards his recovery during his adventurous first two years of life. Now enters the new challenge, making sure B knows that while he may look different than other kids, that it's okay to be different and to accept yourself and others for who they are on the inside. This is one of the many, many reasons I love his parents and his family (he has a pretty darn awesome 4-year-old sister too).
B's mom recently ordered some books to help teach B about cleft palate and to give him and his sister the tools to answer the question "why are you different". I happened to be at their house when she opened up the delicious box from Amazon to discover she had ordered one of my favorite authors, Todd Parr. Although B was in another room eating cheese balls like they were going out of style, my son was with me and B's mom when the box was opened. Jack and I sat on the couch and read Todd Parr's It's Okay To Be Different . Todd Parr has done it again, bringing tears to my eyes and bringing home the message of acceptance over appearance, beliefs, choices and personalities. While my son struggles with his own personality as he figures out how a sensitive boy enters Kindergarden with a bunch of tough kids, this book really hit home for both of us.
I STRONGLY encourage you to not only purchase this for your own library, but at this amazing price ($6.99 from Amazon) order a few extra copies to have as gifts.
It's Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr - order today! |
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Written by Maggie Storm
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Friday, 13 August 2010 19:27 |
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 For the past week, Todd Parr's The Peace Book has been our nightly ritual. Tonight the twins could only pick one book and The Peace Book was their first choice.
With wonderful illustrations that only highlight the diversity of the world, and messages of love, kindness, acceptance and peace, The Peace Book has become something of our touchstone every night. Of course after a week of reading The Peace Book, I suddenly realized that J thought that Peace was a person doing all the things in the book - saying sorry when you hurt someone, keeping the oceans blue, sharing meals. I considered it a gift to have to explain that peace is not a person, it's a state of mind. How do you explain "state of mind" to a 5 year old? Very carefully.
Make sure you pick up a copy of The Peace Book today, you and your family won't regret it. This is a timely book while the nation starts to truly embrace the diversity of all walks of life. |
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Written by Maggie Storm
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Monday, 29 March 2010 21:34 |
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My twins and I were walking along Abbott Kinney in Venice California when we walked by a window display of one of the many captivating boutiques along the way. Lo and behold I spotted a book that would finally answer my son's question, posed whenever he sees the fish skeleton stenciled at every drain in our neighborhood.
All the Way to the Ocean, by Joel Harper, not only educates the children (and me) about the dangers of various pollutants, but also gives us wonderful online and written resources to further educate ourselves as to causes and preventative measures for all ages.
My children will never look at litter the same way. It's a true threat to our environment and I'm thrilled that my kids are now fully aware of what we can do to help do every little bit.
The tale is told of two young boys who share some candy on the way home from school. When one nearly throws his wrapper in the storm drain, his friend stops hi and forces him to think about what he's doing.
The happy ending is that their school was so inspired by what they learned, that they started a clean up program. A true calling to all kids to see the rewards of raising their voices over the threats to our planet, and how one small voice can create large change.
Thank you Mr. Harper, for this wonderful addition to our library!
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Written by Maggie Storm
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Thursday, 25 March 2010 19:25 |
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  There are few things finer than discovering a new, fantastic book with a message about nurturing, caring, and growing a healthy and strong world for those around us. One thing finer than that is watching your child discover this magical book and ask for it to be read to him two nights in a row. This discovery for us is The Curious Garden by Peter Brown.
The story is told of a sweet boy named Liam, who discovers a small patch of garden in a dreary, green-deprived town. He nurtures the patch, sings to it, waters it, prunes it, and discovers that this small patch of garden is a curious one. Spanning throughout the town and inspiring new gardeners to appear, there are amazing illustrations of beautiful gardens, grass covered steps, piers with lilypads and cranes, picnic spots, topiaries and more.
What an inspiration so close to Earth Day. I cannot wait to take this new inspiration to our yard and start nurturing our own curious garden.
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